The Dead Rabbit Releases New Irish Whiskey Book

Cocktail lovers rejoice! The Dead Rabbit, a tri-level mid-19th century style Irish/New York drinking saloon and two-time "World's Best Bar" winner has announced the release of "From Barley to Blarney, a Whiskey Lover's Guide to Ireland." Authored by The Dead Rabbit's Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry, together with fellow Irish native and Irish whiskey expert Tim Herlihy, the book is an unprecedented portrait of 22 of Ireland's distilleries and their bottlings, 50 of its renowned pubs, as well as recipes for 12 original Irish whiskey cocktails, all extensively photographed.

The hardbound book, which includes a history of whiskey-making in Ireland, as well as attractions to visit, chronicles the trio's fact-finding trips and is the ultimate travel guide for whiskey enthusiasts, pub lovers and Hibernophiles.

Two Fact-Finding Trips, 4,000 Miles, 111 Pubs and Every Working DistilleryTo research the book, Muldoon, McGarry and Herlihy conducted two, month-long whirlwind tours in a VW bus driven by McGarry's father. They logged over 4,000 miles, visited 111 pubs and every single working whiskey distillery on the island. In the process, they explored 29 counties and recorded 120 hours of interviews with distillers and publicans. Every step was documented by Elaine Hill, a noted photographer, whose images grace the book. Drinksology, the Belfast firm behind The Dead Rabbit's award-winning menus and its two cocktail tomes, designed this handsome book.

And if the voice of the book seems familiar, it is because it was written by Conor Kelly, who also penned "The Dead Rabbit: Mixology & Mayhem" and copy for The Dead Rabbit's website and social media. While the trio gathered the information and conducted the interviews, Kelly brought everything together as a cohesive and witty literary whole.

"We are constantly asked for our recommendations of where to go in Ireland, what to see and what to do. This book sums up our collective wisdom and was truly a labor of love," says Muldoon, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, The Dead Rabbit and a pub expert. "Ireland is experiencing explosive growth in both distilleries and whiskey and we wanted to capture this unique and historic revival. In the early 1900s, Irish whiskey accounted for 60% of world whiskey sales. Having completed this book, we can say its best days are still ahead and a visit to the Emerald Isle is definitely in order."

Brief histories of each distillery, along with interviews of their distillers, are included, as are descriptions of key bottlings. These artisans all respect Ireland's great distillation heritage, yet are taking creative license in the name of flavor.

The book also contains 12 original recipes for Irish whiskey cocktails by mixologg master McGarry. Each was designed around the distinctive qualities of one of the whiskeys featured in the book. They are prefaced with a mini-course of tips, tricks and explanations.

"Irish whiskey is one of the most diverse categories of spirits in the world," says McGarry, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, The Dead Rabbit. "We have sweet Single Grains, lighter Blends, floral and crisp Single Malts and viscous Pot Stills. Moreover, there are now multiple wood profiles and finishes. The recipes I created showcase these flavor profiles in riffs on the classics, like the Sour, the Old-Fashioned, the Manhattan and more. So while the drinks have The Dead Rabbit signature, they are much more accessible for the home bartender to understand and recreate."